hi experienced fodorites,

I 'll be going to prague next month and still have not decided how I should spend the 9 days. Should I just concentrate on Czech for 9 days or should I do budapest or vienna.I'm intersted in the sceneries and photography so please help me make up my mind. Thanks.

I would recommend a trip to Cesky Krumlov. We took the bus from Prague (spent 3 days there) and spent the night. The next day we took a shuttle to Linz and then the train to Budapest (which took most of the day). We had 4 days in Budapest. Lots of beautiful scenery and photo opportunities in all three places.

thanks snowflake. Your suggestion sounds good.

Prague is going to be packed in July/August so Budapest might be a good idea.

About an hour and a half drive from Prague airport and, I think (but could be wrong) on the way to CK, is the beautiful spa town of Karlovy Vary. I drove there from Prague and really enjoyed 2 days there. You may not need 2 days I may do, but it is a very beautiful and pretty place to visit, walk and relax and drink the different waters. It may be busy in the summer too. I went in late Oct and the Fall colours were delightful.

There are a number of such towns along the route that are well worth a visit, just Google them. KV has wonderful hotels too and you must take a spa treatment while you are there. Best of all, you can use the bus/coach service to get you from one place to the next from Prague all the way to CK (and the coahes are excellent and cheap), you don't need to drive as I did, but FWIW, driving is so easy and you are in control of you time.

Budapest is my favourite city in central Europe and I'd definitely recommend a few days there too.

M

You will not be disappointed in eith Ceske Krumlov or Karlovy Vary. Did KV as a day trip on bus and CK as an overniter via train to Ceske Budlejovice. [sp]

České Budějovice aka Budweis.
Karlovy Vary aka Karlsbad.

Do those names ring a bell?
One is a very famous 19th century spa, the other is somehow related to beer..

If you have a car, Loket, near Karlovy Vary is a very nice town.

These two links might help you. They recount our five days in Prague and a trip down to Český Krumlov and then on to Olomouc.

http://web.me.com/tomfielding1/Tom_%...ague_2008.html

http://web.me.com/tomfielding1/Tom_%...%B3w_2008.html

Yes, Loket is the other town I was trying to remember the name of. Its about 7 Kms from Karlovy Vary and has its own castle. Very pretty town and I think you can whitewater raft on the river that winds through town if you're into that.

Back from CZ about 20min ago to break in my new dampers . Yeah. If I was you, I'd use secondary roads only in CZ and drive in the Bohemian forest. It's super fun. At the right speed, you just fly obove the potholes, which no people disturbing you. In between you can visit places that time forgot and watch people having their beer in the only pub in town at the beautiful market square.

I like it.

harid,
have you finalized your plans yet? Last August we spent 10 days sightseeing in the Czech Republic, and LOVED every moment of our trip. We started out in Prague, then rented a car and drove to Cesky Krumlov, Telc & Karlovy Vary. I think if you click on my name, you will find my trip report. We really enjoyed seeing the smaller towns/cities & countryside in addition to Prague.

You realize that unless you get cheapo airfare, Budapest isn't a day trip from Prague, right? It takes more than 12 hours round trip to get to Budapest and back by any land-based form of transport.

hi guys,

thank you the invaluable ideas and information.

Bigruss - thanks for waking me up. I guess, 14 hours of travel for a 8 night trip is not worth it so i will forgo, budapest this time around.

Mathieu - i'll take your suggestion for Karlovy Vary.

Maitaitom - interesting trip report and ideas.

kwoo - yes i have read your trip report.no. i have yet to plan my itinerary(and panicking) and need you and the rest of the guys help.

i will like to visit prague, karlovy vary, cesky krumlov and telc and may be 1 more place(brno perhaps).Can i do telc as a side trip or should i spend a night.once again, thks.

Personally, I would stay overnight in Telc. It's a very pretty & peaceful town with one of the prettiest town squares I've ever seen. We loved touring the castle & walking around the 2 very peaceful ponds on either side of the main square, with reflections of the castle. Telc is very picturesque, great for photography! I know there are other castles in the area, but we didn't have time to see them. We did drive to Znojomo (sp?) (near the Austrian border)& toured a wine cellar there. I think it took 1 - 1 1/2 hours each way. Also, i don't know what direction you would be coming from, but it took us about 3 hours to drive from Cesky Krumlov to Telc, which is why I recommend spending at least one night.

Telc was a pleasant surprise & more than met our expectations. Also, there was a music festival when we were there in August.

Do a search on "dark beer dumplings" and you'll see a trip report I wrote that may help....short story; Prague to Cesky Krumlov via train and then on to Vienna via Lobo Shuttle - it worked out great.

As a fellow photographer, I think you'll love Prague, although I haven't yet been there, just researched it a lot. You may want to go on Google Earth and "preview" some of the shots that other photographers have taken there. I've spent hours doing that, and it has helped me figure out how to make the best use of my very limited time there.

I've heard that KV and CK are great, too. I forget which one is on the way from Nuremberg (KV I think), but some pictures I saw from there were really outstanding if you like architecture.

We were in Budapest and Vienna last year, and while I liked both very much (especially Budapest), it looks like Prague is the most photogenic, so I'd plan to spend at least several days there. How about a couple days for Salzburg, Dresden, or Berlin instead of Budapest? I think they're fairly far, but probably not as far as Budapest. We liked Passau, Germany, a lot - near Austrian border on the Danube.

You could also consider taking the train to Cesky Krumlov for the day. Then a 5pm www.shuttlebus.cz direct to Salzburg. Another photographers dream. About three hours. Richard

Prague is a photographer's dream (even an amateur one like me). So is Cesky Krumlov. There are stunning views everywhere. Particular favorites for me were at Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, and the castle complex in Cesky Krumlov. There is a multi-level "bridge" connecting parts of Krumlov castle which is fantastic.

hi guys,

Just came back from a wonderful trip in Czech Republic and Austria.Managed to take lots of beautiful pictures throughout the trip and enjoyed myself immensely.The 9 days are :

Day 1 - Arrived evening - Prague
Day 2 - Prague(daytrip Karlovy Vary)
Day 3 - Telc
Day 4 - Cesky krumlov
Day 5 - Salzburg
Day 6 - Obertraun (Hallstatt daytrip)
Day 7 - Arrived evening - Prague
Day 8 - Prague
Day 9 - Prague (departure afternoon)

My only regret is i stayed only 1 night in Cesky krumlov which is worth at least 2 nights in my opinion.Once again thanks,for the wonderful ideas and suggestions for making this trip a memorable one.